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Religion in Lancerus by Sinthaster
Theology of the Realms Religious acolytes are common throughout the far reaches of the Seven Realms, as all nations of men are descended from the loins of the gods and so venerate them. The Seven are the primary subject of the devotion of humanity, though there are exceptions; mankind was made to worship greater powers, but those who fail to find the Seven above will seek other means to fill their ravenous spirit. Concerning the Seven’s persuasion of the common Lancer, the vast majority fall into one of two spiritual camps: believers and skeptics. Believers are the theological moniker for those who believe the laws and history of the Seven and, whether or not they follow said laws, believe them to be true. Skeptics are the opposite as the name would imply; those who believe the Seven to be naught more than fable or folklore. Concerning believers, those who devote themselves to the teachings of their gods make of the majority of the countries of Gildor, Oden, and northern Larkenvale. As one descends further south, skeptics begin to take over the population. Arkrest, the capital of Larkenvale, is fairly mixed, though the believers of the city are by no means religious. As one passes the Sea of Embers and crosses into Arn, believers become the minority. Though most religious believers follow the religion known as The Sevens’ Way or Septism, some choose to venerate their Gods with favoritism. Those born with skills befitting a life of the cloister or church may find that one of our Seven finds great use in their talents while the other six less so. This does not make one less religious, merely specialized. Many Septists throughout the realms live their lives in such a manner, devoting themselves first to the Seven but secondly to one member in particular. I am one such example; I serve the Seven by serving Húrin. That is no difficult leap in cognition. As so far as my travels have allowed, I will record my knowledge here that others who follow after me may learn of the ways of our Seven above and those who honor them. Septism (Seven's Way) This is the great religion of the West. The dominant view of humanity within Lancerus and neighboring realms is that the Seven are real and their laws are to be followed. Septism follows the laws and canons laid forth by the Holy Sojourn of Dane, compounded by Matthias the Prophet, and manifested by the will of the religious orders it spawned. Septism calls for all people to worship and obey the Seven equally. I Má Núora Chapter 3 verse 6 states: "Love all the Seven equally, even to those who serve one foremost in their spirit. For to be a disciple of one of the Holiest of Hosts, one must first be a disciple to them All." Septism's prime directive is written in the High Canons, the greatest commandments of all, of which there are 14. A true Septist follows all Canons to the best of their ability and remembers to love all of the Seven equally. This is often forgotten. This is not to say one cannot dedicate their lives specifically to one member of the Seven, they simply cannot forget the other six. In this way organizations such as The Order of the Seven (Rorn), the Fumnites (Fumna), the Darkmoon Saints (Húrin), and others support the Seven as a whole even though the work directly through only one of the Gods. Not following Septism is not a crime in and of itself except in very few places, such as Halia Mortes. However, religious orders often see non-Septists as lost and prone to dissension. Those who follow only one God but ignore the other Six are also not trusted. Indeed, they are sometimes labeled as heretics given the extremity of their actions. Nolweva (Nolwevans) Nolwevans are the overarching term for those who dedicate their lives to the furthering of Nolweva’s teachings. The preservation and study of knowledge is the primary directive of their lives and so too do they excel in these fields: most libraries are built and maintained by Nolwevans, and many in scholarly position owe their success to their devotion to the All Seeing God. Of note in Lancerus, there are several groups who are the pinnacle of Nolwevan devotion. I have chosen one in particular to study this night: The Wood Elves of the Nomadic tribe of Gova. Often a subject of study from outsiders, Govan Elves are Wood Elves who serve the All Seeing God, Nolweva. They are not particularly fond of humans (as many Wood Elves are), yet they are not so inclined as their brethren to resort to hostility. They are a quiet, gentle people who prefer the harshness of Daggerwood. Though this seems to fall into direct contradiction with their core values, I have been lucky enough to make acquaintance with one of their kind before. Most Nolwevans throughout the Seven Realms follow the belief that knowledge is the greatest tool to the free peoples. They journey the world collecting and protecting knowledge, all the while growing their own minds. Govan Elves, however, find themselves firmly in the roles of protectors of knowledge. Few of them ever leave the tribe, and those that do almost never return. Almost all who leave become City Elves, enamored with the ideas of living amongst the mysterious humans of the wider world. Govan Elves observe a tradition unique to Nolwevans, at least as far as I am aware. Within their communities, the traditional gender binary does not exist: for those unaccustomed with this syntax, this simply means that the terms for “boy” and “girl” are not tied to the stipulation of one’s sexual biology. An Elf born with male reproductive organs, for example, is not classified as “male” simply because their biology dictates as such. Rather, genders are decided by one’s actions in their lifetime. Little of this process is known to outsiders, but from what little I know, there seems to be a pivotal time in a young Elf’s life where a variety of factors (tests, traits, possibly a divine experience?) show them their true selves. Gova, the Wood Elf that began this tribe, was a devout follower of Nolweva and a black sheep amongst his Wood Elven kin for being so. Still, his tribe has grown greatly in the centuries he has led them. It is unknown if Gova always served Nolweva, but the tradition of a non-binary gender system has been a staple of the Govan people since his reign began. (For the curious, Gova is “male” as far as I can tell from the way he is spoken about by other Wood Elves. I have never had the pleasure to meet him in person, so I do not know for sure the truth behind this.) Each member of the Seven has an antithesis except for Nolweva: Life and Death, Order and Chaos, and Judgment and Mercy. Each of those pairs represents one half of a whole concept; as such, each pairing sees itself split into a male and female member. Nolweva has no ‘other’ however, so the standard system does not apply. Nolweva is often depicted as genderless and the correct way to refer to the All Seeing God is using the pronoun ‘they’ (e.g. Nolweva decreed to their servants…). Many will still use ‘he’, however, as the male base form is commonly more synonymous with languages evolved from Common tongue. Kalyar (High Elves of Lindala, High Elves of Silvalen) The God of Life is truly a being of great import. One would think that a God whose domain was that of life itself would be worshiped moreso than any other. It seems, however, this is only the case with the Elves; their lack of natural death is often attributed to the good graces of Kalyar. Theologians of the human race find that the High Elves see Kalyar as most like themselves. Indeed, while members of the Seven such as Ruukina, Fumna and Unquala have been recorded proclaiming Their love of humans (and Rorn going so far as to say He loves humans most of all), Kalyar has never said anything of the sort. Whether this is a correlation or not is unknown. Elves do not build Septs. Worship of the Seven is rarely done inside of an ordained structure, but rather is done outside amidst nature. Pools of serene water and valleys of cool winds are where the Highborn find solace. Unlike Man, who do their best to worship the Seven in equal parts, Elves do not even pretend to uphold this ideal; Kalyar is their God, and to Kalyar alone do they give praise. While many religious humans would find this vexing or even dangerous, we of the mortal coil cannot think ourselves high enough to judge our Sylvan brothers and sisters. This is not to say the Elves of Lindala and Silvalen do not appreciate the divinity of the other members of the Seven. The power of Nolweva and Fumna are recognized to some degree, the others less so... but they are not often worshipped. Ruukina is forgotten almost entirely, seemingly out of spite. Unquala is estranged, for while the Elves respect Her, they also fear Her. The worship of Kalyar dictates a fierce dedication to the natural growth of the world. High Elves do not chop trees for their lodgings and rarely do they hunt game. They structures are made from wood that grows through Elven persuasion over a beautiful stone framework. While Elves have no reservations about burning wood or killing for food, they show great control in doing so. Because Elves also see in the dark far better than humans, they have little need for artificial light. Paradoxically, the love of Kalyar meant that, when magic flourished, Elves had fantastical control over the energies of fire. Kalyar was the greatest of the Vanessi in His gift of fire control, and as the God of Life, He used its warmth as the life giving property in the creation of Men. If Elves are born of stars, then Men are born of Fire in the Darkness. Unquala (Unqualans, Ashen Elves, Death Cults) The Goddess of Death has seen a falling away of from worship over the last millennia. After the Third Age, the sacrifices of Unquala were forgotten by most, and the peoples of Lancerus and most other realms turned towards worship of more "positive" Gods except during times of holy holidays or momentous occasions. The Ashen Elves are quite the opposite. Much like Hasserra did with orcs and other races, Unquala took the framework of High Elves and created the Ashen Elves during the Second Age. They revere Her as their Mother and have worshipped her exclusively ever since. The truest teachings of Her ways may possibly lie with them, though due to their hostile nature, we may never know what that is. All we have is the Sojourn, though due to the Godswalk, I am sure we will learn more soon. One unfortunate syndrome of Unquala's title is the creation of Death Cults. These are human clans that forego the more gentle teachings of Unquala and rather embrace the aspects of inevitable death, decay, and even murder (which the Sojourn states that Unquala is absolutely against). These cults are generally seen as a nuisance, though only a few turn violent. As such, many city militia do not tolerate these death cults and often label practitioners as heretics. Rorn (The Order, Rornans) Within Lancerus, Rorn is worshipped more than any other God. His teachings on fairness, law, and His dedication to the growth of humanity have made Him a staple in all places of worship across the West. The greatest religious power in Lancerus, the Archbishop of Halia Mortes, is seen as an extension of Rorn Himself. Rorn's seat of power during the early ages of Ura, Leva Thallion, is also located in Lancerus (and would become Halia Mortes). The Order of the Seven is the militaristic branch AH MORE TO COME GEEZ Ruukina (Ruukinans, Kyoni, Pleasure Cults) Húrin (Darkmoon Saints, Húrinans, Black Knights) Fumna (Fumnites, Fumnans, Soa) Paganism Heresy (Cult of the Five, Heathens) Yav (Yavists) Atheism (Hand of Men, Agnosticism)